Councillors’ visit to Bath Islamic Society

Last week, the Bath Islamic Society took great pleasure in welcoming a number of Councillors from the local authority to its premises. Their visit was organised by the Council’s Equality Team as part of their work with the BIS, and we look forward to further meetings in future. It also took its place as part of the overall strategy of the BIS in its own role in ensuring community cohesion, under the leadership of its Imam and Director, Sheikh Rashad Azami.

Since the tragedies of 911 and 7/7, not only have community relationships been seen as divided and on a collision course, but forces of the far right, and extremist opportunists, have eagerly taken every opportunity available to them to engender such a collision between Muslims and many other communities, all over the world.

While all Religions have been victims in this conflict, an entirely misleading portrayal of Islam, in particular, has resulted from the dissemination of what can only be regarded as deliberate lies. As a result of these lies, the Muslim community was stereotyped and its members isolated and subjected to mental and physical abuse and degradation.

However, the actions taken by some governments, in the aftermath of the two tragedies, were far more shocking and deplorable. The evil of their actions and reactions has left an indelible impression on the minds of many generations of victims. These governments, apart from the elite, are simply people in authority, but when they become arrogant, believe lies and become themselves tools for encouraging and perpetuating injustices and unfair treatment, where and to who can the real victims of a conflict turn?

In Bath, and in many other places where authorities have taken the right approach to the conflict, the relationship between Muslims and the local authority has been blessed with mutual trust and full confidence. This partnership in our approach to community cohesion has helped the community to gather resources for outreach works while exposing ourselves to the most scrutinising questions.

We have been supported by the Council’s grant in our work for community cohesion. Our monthly Mosque Open Day has been a successful event, affording the general public access to the mosque, the discussion of any issues, and demonstrating the mosque’s function and the activities of the Society. The Muslim women’s group provides an excellent example of this working relationship. The group ran classes in English language, training and skills, meeting on regular basis several times a week. Many statutory and non statutory organisations arranged useful presentations for the group. The council’s Register Office established a good relationship with the group and ran, with mutual visits to the mosque and the Guildhall, a successful programme of awareness about their work and activities. The women’s group were also able to run their religious studies classes which helped them learn the Quran and the basics of Islamic teaching.

Muslims and other faith communities worked together and participated in each other’s activities. At our annual Eid party people of many faiths, and the wider public, joined the celebration and cemented their relationship.

The Councillors’ visit was a testimonial to the success of our community cohesion work and to our awareness and outreach programme.

The Muslim community must continue to work to a programme of participation if we are to achieve a cohesive society. It is no good acclaiming the beauty of Islam when it is not practised by Muslims themselves. Muslims should show their confidence by explaining the positive impact felt as a result of practising the teachings of Islam. The goodness of the Islamic teachings must be seen as divorced from any particular race, culture or colour, but available to all.

It is also important that Muslims fully participate in their local communities. Muslims must work with organisations for the improvement of human rights, environmental issues, war and peace, political activism, good causes and to serve the society they live in. God has offered them these opportunities to work to demonstrate to the wider community the beauty of their religious teachings, and they should embrace them.

Collective accountability is extremely important for the Muslim community. When a Muslim does a wrong his entire religion is blamed. Islam tells us that God has created us so that He may put us to trial to see who is best in their deeds. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: ‘Deen (religious teachings) is all about dealing with others’, and according to the Quran we Muslims must compete in the (Khairaat) causes of goodness.

This is the way forward. We cannot build and strengthen our world on wishful thinking or continuous acts of mourning that the world is against us. It is time for action.